My 11th cross country season has officially begun! I was on the fence at the end of last season on whether or not I was going to continue coaching, but Benji & I decided we were committed to making it work, and I'm so grateful that my husband supports me in this endeavor. Practice started yesterday morning, but before we welcomed a new season, Bruce and I took a coed group of runners up South Sister. McKinley joined me while Benji stayed home with the littles, and consequently she was the only one in the group who had summited the year before. This year we "glamped" in cozy, canvas tents at Elk Lake Resort with futon mattresses and a rug for our feet. McKinley & I learned a new game called Ladder Ball, and she swam in the lake both days. The most unexpected thing from the hike was the never-ending swarm of butterflies at the summit. You can even see them in a couple of the photos below.
Hunter, Asher, James, Johnny, Kendall, McKinley, Sophie, Jessica, Macy & Abi at the trailhead.
The hike to tree line took about 45 minutes.
Beautiful Morraine Lake.
Almost to the false summit.
Taking a break above the tarn.
Almost there!
Made it. So proud of this girl!
We trekked over to the north side of the summit.
The view was amazing!
Six of the nine runners made it to the top. Can you see the butterflies to the right?
We ran across the snow to head back down.
